×Heucherella plant named ‘Birthday Cake’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of × Heucherella  plant characterized by its mounding habit, chocolate colored, cut and ruffled leaves, and creamy flowers in candle-like spikes.

Botanical designation: ×Heucherella sp.

Variety denomination: ‘Birthday Cake’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct intergeneric hybridbetween Heuchera and Tiarella, or ×Heucherella, and given the cultivarname ‘Birthday Cake’. Both genera, Heuchera and Tiarella, are of thefamily Saxifragaceae.

This new cultivar originated as a single plant from crossing a group ofselected Heuchera hybrids with massed pollen from a group of selectedTiarella hybrids. The specific parent plants are unknown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This new ×Heucherella is characterized by:

-   -   1. Small, chocolate colored, ruffled and deeply cut leaves.    -   2. Creamy white flowers on brown peduncles, rising above the        foliage like birthday candles.    -   3. Mounding habit.    -   4. Excellent vigor.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation(division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by divisionand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The photograph shows a two year old plant of the new variety growing inthe trial field in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new ×Heucherella hybridbased on observations of two-year-old specimens grown in the field inthe ground in full sun under typical outdoor conditions in Canby, Oreg.Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from ahigh of 95 degrees F. in August to 32 degrees F. in January. Normalrainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions areall based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Botanical name: ×Heucherella.-   Cultivar name: ‘Birthday Cake’.-   Plant:    -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.        -   Form.—Basal rosette.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 5.        -   Size.—17 cm tall from the ground to the top of the foliage            and 40 cm wide.        -   Vigor.—Excellent.        -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine, and white in color.            Roots develop easily from cuttings.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Rosette.        -   Shape.—Broadly ovate.        -   Lobing/division.—3 to 5 lobed parted, with terminal cut            almost to the petiole, with each lobe also lobed two to            three times.        -   Venation.—Palmate.        -   Margins.—Deeply crenate and ruffled.        -   Apex.—Acute.        -   Base.—Cordate and sometimes overlapping.        -   Blade size.—Ranges from 6 cm to 7 cm long and 5.5 cm to 6 cm            wide.        -   Surface texture.—Soft with glandular hairs.        -   Petiole size.—Ranges from 10 to 11 cm long and 2 mm wide.        -   Petiole surface.—Glandular hairs.        -   Petiole color.—Greyed Orange 176A.        -   Leaf color.—Topside: Brown, closest to Brown 200B and            darkening at main veins to Brown 200A. Bottom side:            Burgundy, closest to Greyed Purple 187A, but lighter.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Thyrse.        -   Number of thyrse in first flush in spring.—25 to 40.        -   Number of flowers.—Ranges from 50 to 70 per thyrse, on top 8            cm of peduncle.        -   Peduncle.—Unbranched with 1 to 2 small leaves. Height —            35 cm. Diameter — 0.25 cm. Color — Burgundy to brown, Greyed            Purple 183B to Greyed Orange 165A. Surface texture —            Glandular hairs.        -   Pedicel.—Length — up to 0.4 cm. Surface texture — Glandular            hairs. Color — Greyed Purple 187B.        -   Bloom period.—May to June in Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—0.2 cm deep and 0.2 cm wide.        -   Description.—Oblong, downfacing, glandular pubescent.        -   Color.—Tan, Greyed Orange 165C.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Complete, sepals petaloid.        -   Shape.—Rotate.        -   Flower size.—0.4 cm wide and 0.4 cm deep.        -   Petals.—5, inconspicuous, Yellow White 158A on inner and            outer surfaces, spatulate in shape, size is 1.5 mm long and            0.7 mm wide, margins are entire, apex is acute.        -   Calyx.—Petaloid, rotate in shape, 4 mm wide and 2 mm deep            divided ½ way to the base, with glandular hairs, sepal lobes            are ovate with an acute apex, margins entire, cream-colored,            Yellow White 158A on both surfaces, slightly duller on back            surface.        -   Stamen.—5 in number, sterile, filaments of Yellow White 158A            are 3 mm deep terminated with oval, flattened anthers, 0.1            mm wide and 0.15 mm deep, no pollen produced.        -   Pistil.—15 mm long and 2.5 mm wide, Yellow White 158A            overall, ovoid and two-lobed, each lobe is 1 mm long            terminated in a narrow stigma.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lastingness.—A thyrse blooms for about 2 weeks on the plant.-   Fruit and seed: None. The plant does not form fruit or seed.    -   -   Fertility.—Sterile.-   Disease and pest tolerance: Excellent disease resistance to Heuchera    rust and powdery mildew. ×Heucherella are susceptible to root    weevils.

COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR ×HEUCHERELLA

Compared to Heucherella ‘Burnished Bronze’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,159),this new cultivar has smaller, lighter, more divided and ruffled leavesas well as cream rather than pink to white flowers.

Compared to ×Heucherella ‘Chocolate Lace’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,701),the new cultivar has more vigor, a rounder, more mounding habit, ruffledleaves instead of unruffled, and cream rather than white flowers.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of ×Heucherella plant as hereinillustrated and described.